Is there a charge for the initial Custom Design Team consultation?
If you choose the Custom Design Team, there is a $100.00 charge for the first consultation with Chet and Karen. If you proceed with a project, that fee is fully deductible from the design cost.
Why does Custom Design Team charge a fee for this meeting?
The first meeting is perhaps the most crucial in helping you develop your ideas. Rather than relying on you to provide design and construction details as other contractors may, we take this opportunity to give you a realistic look at remodeling your home, making you aware of how the renovation will impact your existing home and family. We freely share our years of knowledge and experience, and give you information and ideas that are yours to keep, whether or not you choose to work with us.
Why hire Custom Design Team and pay for designs when other contractor’s say they will do it for free?
Contractors are not designers or architects trained in the use of space, traffic flow, and the nuances of integrating both interior and exterior new spaces with old. In fact, many contractors and builders aren’t even remodeling specialists, and they may discover problems after the start of construction that someone specifically skilled in remodeling would have seen prior to planning and bidding the job. While it’s true that some jobs can be completed successfully with plans generated by a contractor, why trust your remodeling project to anyone but a remodeling specialist?
What is the advantage of having a remodeling contractor and an architect together at the same table from the start?
There are numerous design, cost, and feasibility advantages to working with these two seasoned remodeling specialists. Perhaps most important to the homeowner is that design and construction are integrated from the beginning, with the architect and the remodeler working together to best represent the homeowner’s interests.
Why is the cost per square foot higher for a remodeling project than for a new home?
It is true that remodeling projects can cost more per square foot than new construction. Here’s why. First, before we can start, some degree of demolition is required. The work site is your family’s home, and the site must be safe, secure, water tight, and must be cleaned up daily. During construction, the area must be sealed from the rest of your home to minimize dust from entering the house. All existing mechanical systems must be maintained daily during the construction process. In order to blend the new work with the existing home, materials choices are limited to the materials already in use. Because the new work meets the older work, both exterior and interior finish work extends beyond the actual new work. And, last but not least, we need to maintain a level of comfort for you and your family during construction.
While you’re here, can you…..?
Another factor that increases the cost of remodeling is the additional work that is performed after our crew is on the site. Very often, homeowners will have us attend to other maintenance issues that may have been neglected over the years.
Other contractors have told me they’re ready to start my project right away. Why should I wait for Chet?
Our years of remodeling experience have proven time and time again that the amount of planning and preparation is directly proportionate to the success of the project. If another contractor tells you he can start immediately, ask him for a completion date. Ask him who will be on the site, and if work will proceed uninterrupted until completion. Are all the materials available or in stock, or will a lengthy delivery time on a cabinet or window order leave your home disrupted while no work progresses? Are you really clear on exactly what you’re getting?